Horváth Attila – Bánkuti Imre – H. Tóth Elvira szerk.: Cumania 3. Historia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1975)

Romány P.: Előszó

PREFACE In the preface to the first volume of this serial issued in 1972 and intended to make it clear that by publishing research reports and sources on this region of our country it should be connected into the great circulatory system of specialized sciences, by its own merit. The readers have now received the third collection of the volumes CUMANIA bearing the former name of the region between the rivers Danube and Tisza. It would be early to summarize this undertaking and it is not to be done in the scope of a Preface. But it may justly welcome the achievement. It can be done with pleasure, all the more so because the region between the Danube and the Tisza has often occured in history too, presenting to the whole world documents of its old past and recent history. In this third CUMANIA book there are also studies directly connected with the present. The historical peripety of 30 years ago has by now become a subject of research. This — no doubt has its advantages — in spite of the shortness of the period selected — because there are eye-witnesses still available in this country who can speak about the justness of their efforts and important documents can thus be saved. In this region of the country the past teaches us that the people of today must preserve the witnesses of times for the future generations. Sand has preserved some fragments of the barbarian period and the findings, fragments or the migration period are also very precious relics for the archeologist. But in this region no citadels could be built and there lemained only a few architectural works of historical atmosphere and expressing the aptitude and fights of the people who had lived here. It was neither because of geographical reasons, nor because of the state of preservation of the architecture. On this plain Tartar troops were sweeping along at the time when the cathedrals of Chartres, Laon, Reims or Cologne had already been built. And Temesvár, Szolnok and other fortresses on the plain fell to the Turks in the year when the construction of the even today admired, Vassili church on the Red Square in Moscow began. Inhabitants of Kecskemet sent delegation to Constantinople to obtain permission from the Sultan to build a Calvinist church at the time when the Louvre at the Seine was already being enlarged. It would be needless and unjust to continue these comparisons. Any further examples could only indicate the differences in the historical circumstances and conditions but could in no way show the differences in the real forces and obstacles of the socialeconomic development. Therefore research work is very important and so is searching tor the inherences of all those things which can be explored by historical experiences and documents. It is not done for its own end, for the glass cabinets of the museums and archives. Neither is it done for the sake of conservation and perpetuance though these themselves would be specially significant in the Danube valley. It is primarily done for the people of today who should study Marxist view of history and learn to respect their forefathers and nationalities living together as well as any other nations. A lot of troubles and worries came upon the population of this region. They were decimated by épidémies and wars, disasters and poverty. Their dwellings were ruined several times. But the people did not give up hoping and has always revived as their gardens and fields did revive every spring. But it has been only from 1945 that people could enjoy the fruits of their efforts the democratic rights, and science has only from that time been for the benefit of the people. 11